He stilled. “What do you mean?”
“The cuts?” She could understand the bandage not surviving her shifting forms, but the lacerations themselves?
He pushed her hair down her back and leaned down to inspect her shoulder. “Gone,” he declared before dropping a quick kiss on the now smooth skin.
“How’s that even possible?” She craned her neck for a better look, but no, he was right. There was nothing there but her usual freckles.
“You shifted.”
“And?”
He blinked. “You really don’t know much about this, do you, baby?” Before she could snap at him, he added, “Your body reconstructed itself. Hence why there’s nothing left.”
“Oh. Can anyone do that?” She couldn’t remember her stepbrothers ever mentioning this. Considering the number of times they’d maimed themselves as teenagers, dirt-bike riding or plain-old being stupid, this was a bit odd. Surely, if the only thing they could have done was shift, they would have. Right?
“No. Only the strongest members of the Pride can heal themselves when they shift.”
“Oh,” she repeated, but this time the two letters held such a maelstrom of emotions, she saw his lion seep into his eyes. “That’s, huh, good.”
He shook his head. “Do you believe me now?”
“I guess.”
He chuckled softly and bent down to capture her mouth once again. The fire inside her, banked during their conversation, roared back to life. She slid her fingers into his hair and kissed him back with all her might. All her love. No, she contradicted herself inwardly. She didn’t love him. Not yet. She was just in lust with him because, well, he was her mate and…
“Stop thinking,” he admonished, nudging her face up so he could kiss a path down her neck.
She leaned back and grabbed her knees, holding herself up to his inspection. He groaned and fell on her breasts, sucking on one nipple until it hardened. He did it all over again to her other breast, loving her with his mouth, her moans ringing in the otherwise silent house.
When his hand slid between her thighs, she nearly shouted. His thumb pressed against her clit, two of his fingers slipping inside her at the same time. She keened and nearly fell off his lap.
He wrapped an arm behind her back but didn’t stop his caresses. Lost in the way he was making her feel, she started rocking her hips up and down, forcing his fingers deeper into her. He sucked on her nipple, even going as far as biting on the tender skin. It was too much. She opened her mouth to tell him, but instead she moaned.
He laughed, the sound husky and so very male, she shivered.
“Jay!” She was so close. So damn close. She could feel the orgasm building inside her, that amazing wave of fire spreading throughout her limbs, up her thighs, deep within her.
One flick of his thumb over her clit, and she exploded.
He didn’t give her time to come back down, simply grabbed her hips and pulled her closer. Muscles bunched, he lifted her up…and made her fall right onto his cock. He hissed, she groaned. She fitted him so well, he thought dazedly as he luxuriated in the feel of her walls stretching around his pulsating length.
“God, you feel so good,” Alexa purred, rubbing her chest against his.
“Ride me, darlin’. I want you to ride me.”
She opened her eyes and grinned. “Oh boy.”
She looked far too happy at the prospect, and maybe he should have worried, but all his blood had rushed to his cock, and he couldn’t think anymore. He just watched as she sat up straighter and started circling her hips, all the better to brush her clit against his pubic bone. It felt good, there was no denying it, especially with how wet she was. But he wanted more.
“Ride me!” he snapped.
She shuddered at his tone but obeyed him nonetheless. He was so shocked it’d worked that he stared at her for a full minute without moving. Sensing that she was going to stop, he palmed her waist and thrust up.
She let her head fall back, her hair brushing his hands. So soft. She was so soft everywhere.
“You feel so good, sweetheart,” he murmured against her skin.
She mumbled something back, but it became quite clear her mind was on other things. Her movements became frenzied. Her walls tightened around his cock. Her nails dug into his biceps.
Knowing she was close made him lose control. He gave one final thrust, stopping only when he was to the deep of her, the head of his shaft nudging her womb. Her walls clenched around him as her climax hit, triggering his own release. He came with thick, sharp jets inside her, intense pleasure, relief, overwhelming him.
He closed his eyes and rested his forehead against hers, feeling at peace for the first time that day.
Chapter Thirteen
The moment of quietude didn’t last long.
His phone rang, shattering the silence that had wrapped around them. He pulled her off of him and dropped her down on the sofa. Laying a quick kiss on the top of her head, he stood up and went to find his jeans.
Sliding his phone open a moment later, he wasn’t surprised to hear his father growl on the other end. “Get back here. Fast.” The line went dead.
Jay closed his eyes for a second. When he reopened them, he saw straight away how tense she now was. Ignoring her for the time being, he put his clothes back on and went to the bathroom for a quick wash. He didn’t really have time, not with his dad sounding like that, but the lion in him couldn’t imagine other men smelling her on him. When he reappeared in the lounge, he noticed she’d put on the shirt he’d lent her earlier, hiding her lovely assets.
She’d also wrapped herself in the blanket that’d been folded at one end of the sofa. She looked lost like that, her knees upturned, her face peeking out from under her hair. It curled in every direction, his overactive hands obviously at fault there. The thought made him smile…and that’s when she looked up and spotted him standing there.
“You’re going to ask me to stay here,” she said, her voice low.
He nodded and took a few steps toward her. “Yes. I know you want to be there for your mother, but Alexa, I can’t let you jeopardize this.”
“Like I did earlier.”
He didn’t comment, but simply added, “We need to know why Connor put the implant in you, darlin’. We also need to know if he’s done it to other women in the Pride. As a surgeon, he had access to everybody. You understand, right?”
She nodded, although it was plain to see she hated being left behind. Considering how strong she was, her lioness was probably pushing her to move. He stilled his temper and kept on talking. “Just stay here and wait for me. Please, Alexa. This is your house now, so why don’t you take a tour and see what you’d like to change?”
She blinked, and he berated himself for his last words. They still hadn’t talked about that morning’s argument, when she’d told him she had a life, one he wasn’t a part of. Surely she’d come to understand she needed to be at his side?
His thoughts dark, he went to her and nudged her face up. Her gaze locked with his. He let his lion show through, forcing her to drop her eyes after a long pause. When he drew down and took her mouth into a hard kiss, he wondered whether she would reciprocate…or whether she was going to bite him instead. Relief washed over him when her tongue met his. He quickly departed after that, his steps lighter than he’d expected.
* * * *
Alexa stood on the front porch, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. Her lioness was pacing inside her, wanting her to move, to go and find out what was happening to her mother. Had she confessed? Had she told them why she’d let her get hurt? Why would she want her daughter to be brought up as a mixie, though? That didn’t make any sense!
She bit her lip and hugged herself, telling herself it was because she was cold. But she wasn’t really. She was just indecisive. Weak. Her stepfather’s voice echoed inside her mind, reminding her, as he’d done countless times before, that she was nothing. She wasn’t even worth the food he’d had to pay to feed her throughout the years. All the money he’d spent on clothes, all the time he’d spent hiding her… All this had been for nothing.
She couldn’t get her mind around it. Sure, he’d never loved her, had never even acted like he did. Oh, he’d been nice enough when he’d courted her mother, but she’d been little at the time. They’d married, and for a time then, Alexa had thought she finally had the family she’d been dreaming of. It hadn’t lasted long, however. As soon as she’d hit puberty, it had gotten progressively worse.
All the innuendos, all the put-downs, the nasty comments mumbled behind her back. She’d accepted them all, knowing it was her own failure for being the only mixie in the family. She’d left home as soon as she’d been able to, relocating thousands of miles away where no one knew her. Where no one knew she was a shifter, just another faceless woman in the crowd.
She’d thrived on the anonymity, however. Blossoming, finding her wings, a job, friends. She’d had it all, and now Jay wanted her to say goodbye to her hard-won life. Who did he think he was?
Our mate
, the lioness replied inside her.
We need to go to him!
Alexa shook her head and forced her feet to stay put. She’d said she’d stay here. He counted on her. She might not like the way he ordered her around, but she also knew he was doing it because he thought it was for the best. Part of her also understood why he wanted her to move in with him. After all, they were mated now. That’s what mated couples did.
God, she really had to stop thinking. Rolling her eyes at herself, she turned around…only to stop short when something skittered on the driveway behind her. She stilled, waiting to hear if she heard the noise again.
Nothing.
Just the sound of the wind brushing the leaves of the trees lined up the street.
Relaxing her stance, she grabbed the door handle. An arm wrapped around her throat from behind, cutting off her air. She chocked, her hands automatically trying to dislodge it. Her fingers dug into the thickly muscled arm under her chin, but it wasn’t enough. She partially shifted and felt her nails pierce the man’s skin.
He roared in displeasure and accentuated the pressure. Black spots appeared in her vision, her breath coming out too slowly for her to do more than just stand there and wait.
No!
Her lioness growled.
Fight!
Alexa wavered, but she did manage to send her booted foot slamming into her attacker’s shin. He yelped but didn’t let go. His scent grew stronger, as if his emotions were getting out of control. That’s when she recognized him.
Anger sparked bright inside her. A final burst of energy made her slam her elbow back into his paunchy stomach. He snapped and covered her nose with his other hand. Unable to breathe any longer, she fought against his hold. Seconds later, her world turned black.
Chapter Fourteen
Alexa came back to herself slowly. Even before her lioness started talking to her, she knew she’d been drugged. Her limbs felt heavy, her breathing choppy. She couldn’t open her eyes or move her hands. Panic surged inside her. Only the thought of her mate stopped her from giving in to it.
Jay...
Jay would find her. She had to trust him. She had to.
Her heartbeat slowed down a little, and she forced herself to lie there and listen. Beep beeps. The faint sound of a pump. There were machines all around her; she would bet on it.
“I know you’re awake, whelp.” She tensed as the dreaded voice whispered in her ear. “Now that you’re properly tied up, we can start with the procedure.”
He must have reduced the drugs invading her system because she could feel the fog that had surrounded her gradually lessen. She blinked. It took her a few tries, but she finally managed to open her eyes. Bright lights made her close them almost instantly.
He laughed, almost maniacally, somewhere to her left.
Her lioness sharing some of her strength, she tried again and almost cried out when she noticed where she was. It was a surgical room. Her fingers tensed, but he’d been right. She was cuffed to the bed. She couldn’t move. Couldn’t run away and hide. Her feet were in stirrups, her legs wide open. A sudden realization came over her.
He was going to do it again. Implant that thing in her, hiding her lioness from the world once more.
No!
she roared inside her, scraping her nails against her insides.
Alexa gasped out loud this time. He turned around and smiled at her. “I promised your mother I’d take care of you. And I will.”
She stared at her stepfather’s bright eyes and fought the urge to scream. He was crazy; there was just no other explanation. “Wh-why?” she managed to ask, her voice sounding rusty.
“No one would have respected me if they’d known I had a dominant female in my family. Who did you think you were? Stronger than my sons. Than myself even! No, you were better as a weak female. Don’t you know that’s how lionesses are supposed to be? Meek and docile, just like your mother.”